


i told you dating was overrated

by vehlr



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Idiots, The Perils of Dating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-07-14 01:01:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7145684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vehlr/pseuds/vehlr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I was treated to a list of alternatives to the ‘mainstream garbage’ I have been enjoying. Something to - oh, what did he say? Enlighten the mind.”<br/>“John Hughes <i>is</i> enlightening.”<br/>“Apparently not.”<br/>“Swine.”</p>
<p>In which Varric and Cassandra are as bad as each other when it comes to being honest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i told you dating was overrated

The faint buzzing jolts Varric from his evening stupor. Diving across the couch for his phone, he flips the screen open -

_Are you still up? x_

His lips curl into a smile at the sender - Cassandra. That meant she had not gone home with the jackass who had asked her out on a date. That meant - well, to Varric, that meant he could quite happily imagine her straddling his waist with that wicked smirk of hers. The minute she found herself a real partner, he would have to stop.

He taps out a quick affirmative, hauling himself from the couch to find his boots. He knew what was coming next.

_Ugh. Bad night. Diner? x_

It was a short walk to their preferred spot, a greasy joint that stayed open all night and served arguably the best shit coffee in the city. He slides into their usual booth, ordering two coffees and a stack of pancakes for Cassandra, stealing a little of the syrup for his drink.

“Too much sugar is bad for you,” she says, approaching from the door and sitting opposite him. He grins as he looks up to watch her pour cream into her own cup.

She is still as radiant as he remembered from earlier in the day - they had spent a good hour before her date, choosing the right dress (definitely the right dress, he adds mentally) and discussing conversation topics for her to bring up. Earlier, she had been almost giddy. Earlier, she had smiled.

Now…

She had actually liked this one. Varric had not, of course, but Varric never did. But the look on her face was _defeated._

“That bad?” he asks.

She shrugs. “It was not good.” Twirling the fork in her fingers, she sighs. “He does not read, so we could not talk about books. He does not run, so my marathon training was off-limits. He follows fewer sports than even Merrill, he did not want to discuss work -”

“Shit. What _does_ he do?”

“He is quite the film buff.”

Varric offers a smile. “That’s good! We made good progress on catching you up on films -”

“Not obscure arty films,” she points out.

“Oh.”

“I was treated to a list of alternatives to the ‘mainstream garbage’ I have been enjoying. Something to - oh, what did he say? Enlighten the mind.”

“John Hughes _is_ enlightening.”

“Apparently not.”

“Swine.”

She swallows, blinking too fast, and Varric winces as he slides out of the booth and sits next to her, one arm awkwardly shoved around her back.

“Hey, c’mon. It’s alright. Next time. Next time you’ll find someone -”

“You said that last time. And the time before.” She wipes at her cheeks, shaking her head. “I thought I was ready for this, but I think perhaps I never will be.”

“Don’t say that. You’ll find someone.”

“I did. But it… it was not reciprocated.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

He mulls this over for a moment. “Then he’s a jackass. Anyone’d be lucky to get a chance with you.”

She huffs a soft laugh, before shrugging him off. “I am sorry. I should not have dragged you out here so late. Let me pay and we can both go home and forget all about -”

“Hey, no no no, you don’t get out that easy. Tell me about this jackass. Do I need to go have stern words?”

“No -”

“Because if someone broke my friend’s heart -”

She motions for him to move. “Nobody broke anything. Come on, I have work in the morning.”

Varric frowns, but moves, handing a few notes to the passing waitress. How had she never mentioned this before? Considering their friends, it could have been anyone, but he suspected it was more likely to be Curly. They were close, closer than Varric and Cassandra, and he was the type she seemed to go for. Tall, handsome and just malleable enough to do what she told him.

Varric makes a mental note to give him the cold shoulder for a while.

*

Cassandra never needs walking to her door, but she lets Varric do it all the same.

_If somebody broke my friend’s heart -_

She does not linger on that. After all, what was left to linger on? She had loved Varric - still loved him, still felt the stupid dwarf was one of the good ones in a world of men who did not understand her - and he would only ever see her as a friend.

She lets him punch the floor number in the elevator.

“You alright?” he asks.

“Just tried,” she replies, smiling.

He reaches up to stroke her back. “Next time,” he promises.

And it was _good_ , she reasons, good to have a friend like Varric. He cared more than most friends, would always go that extra mile. He would meet her buck-naked in the diner at 3am if she asked, simply _because_ she asked. She just could not keep up her end of the bargain anymore. All these hopeless dates… it was as much a failing of hers as it was the men she tried to court. Her heart was not in it, _could_ not be in it when it was in the hands of one Varric Tethras.

She fumbles the keys into the lock, shoving the door open.

“Movie night tomorrow?” he asks.

She nods. “If it is not a problem -”

“Never a problem.” He smiles up at her, leaning against the doorframe. “Chin up. It’ll look better tomorrow, I promise.”

“Goodnight, Varric.”

“Night, Cassandra.” He offers a lazy salute before turning back down the corridor, and she closes the door. She stills, leaning against the door and listening to his heavy footsteps down the hall.

“Jackass,” she whispers.

His friendship had to be enough. It had to be -

_Bambambambam._

She opens the door with a frown. “Varric?”

Varric has a strange look in his eyes.

“Am I the jackass?”

She does not miss a beat. “Varric, it is late. I have work -”

His hand holds the door open. “Am. I. The. Jackass?”

The foundations of their friendship are crumbling beneath her. She cannot lie, not about this. But her silence is enough, as Varric audibly swallows.

“It is going away,” she says finally. “You do not need to treat me any differently.”

He looks wounded. “I've _always_ treated you differently,” he says quietly, reaching for her hand.

“You do not -”

“If you’d just _said_ ,” he says with a note of pain in his voice, “if I’d _known_ , we could have -”

She stares at him. “Liar,” she whispers.

“Not about this. Never about this.”

“You cannot. You have not - never, in all the time I have known you, never shown even an _interest_ in anyone.”

He shrugs. “I was interested in _you_. Nobody else measured up.”

“You - you never said!”

“Neither did you!”

She shoves him. “Shut up. Go away.”

“Cassandra -”

“I am angry. I am upset. This will not be a rational conversation if we continue.”

“But -”

“Come back tomorrow. After work.” She motions to the door. “Then, we will talk.”

The relief on his face is very cute, she thinks absently, before remembering how annoyed she is.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Tomorrow. Promise?”

She frowns. “I mean what I say, Varric.”

“No, I know, it's just… nevermind.” He smiles up at her. “Tomorrow.”

She hesitates, before grabbing the door again. “Varric?”

“What's wrong?”

She sighs, leaning against the door. “It is already tomorrow,” she says quietly, offering a smile. “Stay.”

He blinks, before realising. “Oh. I don't - I'm not gonna do anything.”

“I know.”

“You're tired.”

“I am.”

“I can sleep on the -”

“Varric.” She jerks her head. “Come in.”

“Right.” He shuffles in, shrugging off his jacket. “Go and sleep, Cassandra. I'll -”

She takes his hand, tugging gently. “Bed.”

“But -”

“Bed.”

It is too late to argue, she thinks mentally. Too late to fight it.

It has been too late for a while, in truth.

*

The sunlight is warm against his arm as Varric stirs from the dark depths of sleep.

Cassandra is warmer - snuggled up against his chest, forehead smooth and free of worry. From this close, he can count her lashes. Well, he could, if the rest of her face were not so distracting. Her breathing is even, her lips curved into a half-smile in sleep. He wonders what she dreams of.

She sighs, shifting against him. “Mm. S’early.”

“Yeah,” he murmurs, hand brushing gently down her arm. “Go back to sleep.”

“You stayed.” She sounds surprised, and he tils his head to smile down at her.

“Course I did.”

“Varric?”

“Yeah?”

She reaches up, thumb grazing his lower lip. Smiling slowly, she leans over him, pressing her lips against his gently. It is the softest kiss Varric has ever known, and it feels like the beginning of the greatest story he could ever write.

He curls a hand into her hair, holding her close as she makes a soft pleased noise that goes straight through him in a warm bolt. It could have gone either way, in truth - a passionate clinch after so long of lusting after one another. But he is glad that it is this. He is glad that it is soft.

They break, his hand still entwined in the sweaty curls at the nape of her neck, her fingernails gently grazing his stubble.

“Cassandra?”

She opens her eyes, looking at him with a warm gaze.

“Are we - I mean, is this -” He smiles weakly. “We didn’t really talk about… last night. About how I’m the jackass.”

“Yes.” She smiles. “You were.”

“Were?”

“I think you can be forgiven that title right now,” she teases, stroking his cheek.

“Good to know. If I ever get on your bad side, I can just kiss my way to forgiveness.” She swats him, and he kisses her forehead. “I just… are you sure? You were dating, you were moving on, and I don’t want you to -”

“Varric, stop. I would like us to be… us. I have wanted this for a long time, and I am not willing to let you go so easily.”

He grins, arm tightening around her. “Yeah?”

“I mean what I say.”

“Good. I mean, I know you do, I just… need to hear it, sometimes.”

She seems to understand, though neither of them say it out loud - the afterthought of the past.

Instead she stretches against him, her arms coming to rest over his shoulders. “Mm. You are very comfortable, you know.”

He laughs, low and rough, and her eyes sparkle with mirth. “Am I, now.”

“Yes.” She kisses his jaw. “I could happily stay here all day.”

His hand roams over her back, fingertips lightly catching against the thin fabric. “No you couldn’t,” he teases. “You can barely sit through a movie with me, you hate being idle.”

“Who said we would be idle?” she murmurs against his neck.

His fingers brush against skin. “You really want to make up for lost time.”

“Too fast?” she asks.

“If you’re sure -” and here, his hand slides beneath fabric, savouring the way her breath hitches - “then I’m sure.”

Her body presses into the crook of his. “Varric -”

“Let me show you what this jackass can do,” he grins, before she claims his mouth once more.


End file.
